Aircraft, such as high-speed jets, and other vehicles include control sticks (e.g., side stick controllers, center stick controllers) that pivot about a base and translate the pivoting motion into corresponding outputs (e.g., angle, direction) that can be used to control the aircraft. For example, a typical aircraft control stick is moved fore and aft to command aircraft pitch and side to command aircraft roll.
Control sticks typically include a grip that an operator grasps when making input commands or control inputs. The control stick is generally coupled to the aircraft or other device at one or more pivot points below the grip. For example, an aircraft control stick can be coupled to a pivot point that picks up pitch inputs and a pivot point that picks up roll inputs. Conventional control sticks use a gimbal assembly with one or more sliding input elements, such as sensors, to translate the inputs received from the operator into corresponding outputs. Sliding input elements, however, require clearance between the sliding surfaces and are susceptible to introducing backlash into the system. Backlash can result in reduced sensitivities of the system and reduced accuracy (i.e., larger tolerances) in the output that may not be suitable for control sticks with tight angle output tolerances.